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Description

Watermark:

Hendrik Witbooi. Security thread.

Avers:

The ebgraving on banknote is, probably, made from this photo. The date and author of the photo are unknown.

Hendrik Witbooi (c. 1830 - 29 October 1905) was a king of the Namaqua people, a sub-tribe of the Khoikhoi. He lived in present day Namibia. Witbooi is regarded as one of the national heroes of Namibia.

Kaptein Hendrik Witbooi was the first African leader who took up arms against the German imperialists and foreign occupiers in defense of our land and territorial integrity. We, the new generation of the Land of the Brave, are inspired by Kaptein Hendrik Witbooi's revolutionary action in combat against the German Imperialists who colonized and oppressed our peoples. To his revolutionary spirit and his visionary memory we humbly offer our honor and respect.

Right of him is the parliament building in Windhoek, Namibia's capital.

The Tintenpalast (German for "Ink Palace") is the seat of both chambers of the Namibian legislature, the National Council and the National Assembly. It is located in the Namibian capital of Windhoek, just north of Robert Mugabe Avenue. It was designed by German architect Gottlieb Redecker and built by the company Sander & Kock between 1912 and 1913 out of regional materials as an administration building for the German government, which colonized Namibia at the time. As an allusion to the large ink usage by the workers in the building, it was named "Tintenpalast" or "Ink Palace". The building is surrounded by the Parliament Gardens which is very popular among the inhabitants of Windhoek.

Namibian coat of arms top left.

The arms are blazoned as follows:

Flag of Namibia: Tierced per bend sinister Azure, and Vert, a bend sinister Gules fimbriated Argent and in dexter chief a Sun with twelve straight rays Or charged with an annulet Azure.

Compartment: A Namib sand dune with a Welwitschia mirabilis on the foreground.

Motto: "Unity, Liberty, Justice".

Oryx - The oryx is a large antelope of striking appearance with long, spearlike horns. It has a thick, horse like neck with a short mane and a compact, muscular body. A defined pattern of black markings that contrast with the white face and fawn-colored body are prominently displayed in dominance rituals to emphasize the length of horns and strength of the shoulder. The head is marked with black triangular patches and broad black stripes that extend from the base of the horns over the eyes to the cheeks. Originally, various oryx species were found in all of Africa's arid regions.

The Lesser Spotted Eagle (Aquila pomarina). The Lesser Spotted Eagle breeds in Central and Eastern Europe and southeastward to Turkey, and winters in Africa.

Welwitschia mirabilis grows in isolated communities in the Namib Desert, in a narrow strip, about 1 000 km along up the coast from the Kuiseb River in central Namibia to Mossamedes in southern Angola. The plants are seldom found more than 100 to 150 km from the coast, and their distribution coincides with the fog belt. Welwitschia is still common in its habitat and shows variability, which is a sign that it is far from extinction. They are neither endangered nor rare, nevertheless they are protected by law. Bushmen tribes call this plant "great lord".

Denominations in numerals are in top left and bottom right corners. In words in bottom left corner.

Revers:

Five Oryx antelopes (Oryx gazella).

The gemsbok or gemsbuck (Oryx gazella) is a large antelope in the Oryx genus with long, spear like horns.

The name "gemsbok" in English is derived from Afrikaans gemsbok, which itself is derived from the Dutch name of the male chamois, gemsbok. It has a thick, horse like neck with a short mane and a compact, muscular body. A defined pattern of black markings that contrast with the white face and fawn-colored body are prominently displayed in dominance rituals to emphasize the length of horns and strength of the shoulder. The head is marked with black triangular patches and broad black stripes that extend from the base of the horns over the eyes to the cheeks. Originally, various oryx species were found in all of Africa's arid regions.

On the top is the flag of Namibia.

The flag of Namibia was adopted on March 21, 1990 upon independence from South Africa.

The main colours were taken from the flag of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), the most important liberation movement in Namibia. That flag was adopted in 1971 and comprises diagonal stripes of blue-red-green, the most important colours of the Ovambos, the largest ethnic group in the country. The flag also represents the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance, another Namibian political party. The gold sun, which is similar to the national emblem of the Republic of China, represents life and energy.

The chairman of the subcommittee that chose the flag after a competition for which 850 designs were submitted. It has also explained the symbolism of the flag's colours:

Red - represents Namibia's most important resource, its people. It refers to their heroism and their determination to build a future of equal opportunity for all.

White - refers to peace and unity.

Green - symbolises vegetation and agricultural resources.

Blue - represents the clear Namibian sky and the Atlantic Ocean, the country's precious water resources and rain.

Red, white, and blue were the colours of the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance, and blue, red, and green, the colours of SWAPO.

Denominations in numerals are in top left and bottom right corners. In words in bottom left corner.

Comments:

During the planning phase of the introduction of a new national currency replacing the South African rand, the newly founded Bank of Namibia minted a proof series of coins denominated in dollars as well as in marks, for the consideration of the Namibian Ministry of Finance. The decision then fell in favour of the name ‘dollar’ for the new currency.